`Colic` is a term used in equine medicine to refer to the signs of abdominal pain in horses (usually caused by bowel conditions), ranging from most commonly non life-threating but nonetheless highly painful accumulations of gas in the large intestine, through to severe conditions such as twisted bowel, which will lead to death unless treated rapidly and appropriately. Many severe cases of colic can end in fatality.

Buscopan CompositumÂ® (butylscopolamine bromide) is the most popular treatment for the alleviation of pain and bowel spasm associated with simple spasmodic colic. The product is both spasmolytic (relaxing the smooth muscle of the bowel) and analgesic (giving relief against the waves of pain), and so provides a highly effective mechanism for treating these simple colics. Many practitioners also use Buscopan as a diagnostic tool for screening against more severe causes of colic.